SpaceX's Last Falcon 9 Launch Just Broke Its Own Weird Record
On Friday, May 16, 2025, SpaceX broke a record that the aerospace company itself created in the first place. During the 125th mission launched from pad 4E in California, the Falcon 9 Heavy Rocket deployed the 1000th ever Starlink satellite. This puts SpaceX one step closer to, theoretically, having the most robust satellite broadband internet service in the world.
Currently, there are four players in the satellite broadband game: HughesNet, Viasat, and the fledgling Amazon-owned company, Project Kuiper. With the successful deployment of its 1000th satellite, Starlink is very clearly in the lead of this new space race.
You can rewatch the relevant part of this mission on X or below:
The future and viability of broadband satellite internet service remain somewhat unproven at the moment. While Starlink service is generally available throughout the United States, its global accessibility has yet to actually happen. In theory, the rollout of the latest satellites is a step closer to that future, but as of now, the goal of Starlink — to provide more affordable internet communication around the world — remains only partially realized.
The next SpaceX launch, Falcon 9 GPS 3 SV-08, is targeted for late May. The goal of that mission is to "launch the eighth Global Positioning System (GPS) 3 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin," according to Spaceflight Now.
The next crewed SpaceX launch is the Falcon 9 Axiom Mission 4, which will take place on June 8, 2025.
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